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Steve Ellis is a television producer who has an affair with Ida. Ida likes Ellis because he provides roles for Black women, which is uncommon for the time. However, Vivaldo is skeptical of Ellis, in part because he is jealous, but also because he thinks he cares more about money than art. Ultimately, Ida comes around to Vivaldo’s way of thinking and decides Ellis only wants to take advantage of her.
Steve Ellis Quotes in Another Country
The Another Country quotes below are all either spoken by Steve Ellis or refer to Steve Ellis. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Book 1, Chapter 1 Quotes
He had expected her to resist and she did, holding the glass between them and frantically trying to pull her body away from his body’s touch. He knocked the glass out of her hand and it fell dully to the balcony floor, rolling away from them. Go ahead, he thought humorously; if I was to let you go now you’d be so hung up you’d go flying over this balcony, most likely. He whispered, “Go ahead, fight. I like it. Is this the way they do down home?”
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Book 2, Chapter 3 Quotes
He was making himself sick with his fears and his fantasies. If Ida loved him, then Ellis and the whole great glittering world did not matter. If she did not love him, there was nothing he could do about it and the sooner everything came to an end between them, the better. But he knew that it was not as simple as that, that he was not being honest. She might very well love him and yet—he shuddered and threw down his drink—be groaning on some leather couch under the weight of Ellis. Her love for him would in no way blunt the force of her determination to become a singer—to pursue the career which now seemed so easily within her grasp.
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Book 2, Chapter 4 Quotes
Ida and Ellis had begun a new dance; or, rather, Ida had begun a new cruelty. Ida was suddenly dancing as she had probably not danced since her adolescence, and Ellis was attempting to match her—he could certainly not be said to be leading her now, either. He tried, of course, his square figure swooping and breaking, and his little boy’s face trying hard to seem abandoned.
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Book 3, Chapter 1 Quotes
Smoke poured from his nostrils and a detail that he needed for his novel, which he had been searching for months, fell, neatly and vividly, like the tumblers of a lock, into place in his mind. It seemed impossible that he should not have thought of it before: it illuminated, justified, clarified everything.
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Steve Ellis Character Timeline in Another Country
The timeline below shows where the character Steve Ellis appears in Another Country. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 3
...that will be coming over. In particular, she is excited about a television producer, Steve Ellis. Ida recognizes the name and gets excited because Ellis produced an award-winning show featuring a...
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Finally, guests begin to arrive, the first of which is Steve Ellis, the television producer. After shaking hands with Richard, Ellis turns to Ida and asks if...
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Ellis asks Vivaldo about himself, so Vivaldo talks about his novel. Ellis acts unimpressed when Vivaldo...
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Ellis tells Vivaldo that he likes him, though he thinks he needs to lighten up. Then,...
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...that Ida only wants to stay at the party so she can keep talking to Ellis. Ida does not like Vivaldo’s insinuation, and she responds coldly. Vivaldo knows he has made...
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...and crying in one of the bedrooms. Vivaldo apologizes to Ida for his comment about Ellis. However, Ida is still angry. She says, “You think I’m nothing but a whore [...]...
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Book 2, Chapter 2
Moments later, Steve Ellis comes up and says hello to the table. He explains that he came to see...
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Ida introduces Eric to Ellis, who already recognizes Eric’s name because he knows about the upcoming play. After introductions are...
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Before they depart, Ellis asks why Cass and Richard did not come out to the performance. Determined to tell...
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Ellis, Eric, Ida, and Vivaldo walk together in silence to their next destination. To break the...
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...Vivaldo continue to yell at each other, Eric tries to drown them out by asking Ellis about television. Eric finds Ellis boring but prefers listening to him over Ida and Vivaldo’s...
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As soon as they arrive at the bar, Ellis immediately starts talking business. He tells Ida that she has a bright future but needs...
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Book 2, Chapter 3
...asks if he will meet with her. Ida is gone for her first meeting with Ellis, so Vivaldo says he would be happy to, having nothing else to do. When Cass...
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Cass’s insecurity regarding her marriage reminds Vivaldo of Ida’s meeting with Ellis. He thinks about what Ida and Ellis are doing together and starts to get jealous...
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...changes the subject and admits that he thinks Ida might be having an affair with Ellis. Cass can only laugh; both she and Vivaldo are sitting around wondering about their significant...
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...makes Vivaldo suspicious. Once again, he wonders if Ida could be cheating on him with Ellis. Vivaldo wishes he had someone to talk to about his situation. He realizes that Rufus...
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Book 2, Chapter 4
Although Vivaldo has stopped bringing it up, he still feels that Ida and Ellis are having an affair. Additionally, Vivaldo and Ida fight with some regularity, often about race....
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...Vivaldo and Eric, Ida convinces Cass to come to a bar with her to meet Ellis. Although Cass is unsure at first, she senses that Ida needs someone to talk to—even...
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...a white host greets her with suspicion. Once she explains she is there to meet Ellis, the host changes his attitude and quickly points her in the right direction. Ida and...
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Several times throughout the conversation, Ellis and Ida reference Cass’s loyalty to Richard. Cass raises an eyebrow at these remarks, especially...
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...begins speeding up her pace. Cass can tell she is purposely going too fast for Ellis, making him look like a fool. Cass wonders if this is some sort of revenge...
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...was around for a while, but then she and Ida left to get drinks with Ellis.
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...of Cass’s story, Richard asks her if she came directly home after getting drinks with Ellis and Ida. Truthfully, Cass says that she did. Seeing that Richard does not believe, Cass...
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...not around when Cass is supposedly with Vivaldo because Ida is having an affair with Ellis.
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Book 3, Chapter 1
At this point, Ida admits to Vivaldo that she has been sleeping with Ellis to help her career. She sees her affair with Ellis as a kind of revenge...
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Furthermore, Ida tells Vivaldo that she ended her affair with Ellis the previous night. While performing at the bar, her fellow musicians shamed her for having...
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